1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, a recording medium transportation device, and a recording medium transportation method, and particularly relates to a technique that suctions and transports a recording medium on a circumferential surface of a cylindrical transportation body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a recording medium transportation device that fixes and transports a recording medium, a suction transportation device that suctions the recording medium on a circumferential surface of a cylindrical drum from the inside of the cylindrical drum through suction holes provided on the circumferential surface of the cylindrical drum to fix and hold the recording medium and transports the recording medium which is fixed and held by rotating the cylindrical drum is known (for example, JP2009-242064A).
In such a suction transportation device, in a case where plural sheets are fixed and held on the cylindrical drum at one time, an air flow rate is determined on the premise that suction holes positioned behind a trailing edge of an arbitrary sheet are blocked by a sheet subsequent to the former sheet. However, with respect to a final sheet without a subsequent sheet, since suction holes by which the subsequent sheet is to be fixed and held are not blocked, air for suctioning leaks from the suction holes. Further, since there is a transportation interval between plural sheets, there is a case where suction holes are not blocked at a position between the sheets, and air leaks. As a result, in the case of a thick sheet having a high stiffness, there is a problem in that it is not possible to appropriately suction a trailing edge region of a final sheet.